According to the latest annual report on the toy sector, Lego is the UK’s most prominent toy store in 2023.
Top 5 prominent UK toy stores
Through analysing the number of monthly searches for each brand and calculating an owned social score which combines the number of followers and engagement rate across major social platforms for each brand, the report unveils the most prominent brands in the sector. The findings reveal Lego is the most prominent brand in the industry.
With over 24 million social media followers and a sizeable 550,000 brand searches per month, Lego is the market leader when it comes to brand awareness. Build-A-Bear is the second most prominent brand in the sector with 246,000 brand searches per month and over 3 million social media followers.
When it comes to organic visibility, there has been a 6 percent increase in overall organic growth within the industry, demonstrating an ongoing demand for toys.
Despite crowned the most prominent brand of 2023, toy company giant Lego has seen the biggest drop in visibility with a 17 percent decrease since June 2022.
This suggests while the toy brand is still prominent within the industry, its visibility is in need of improvements. In contrast, Smyths Toys sees the biggest growth in organic visibility with an increase of 6 percent year on year. As the second most prominent toy store in the UK, Smyths Toys is in a comfortable position.
A brand on the rise is Tonies, as it sees a sizeable 213 percent increase in searches following its recent partnership with Hamleys in 2022. The collaboration saw Tonies products sold in Hamleys stores. The latest report on toy stores also assesses the current product trends, analysing which products are losing searches and which products are in demand.
According to the findings, squirkies has seen the biggest increase in searches within the industry, with an astonishing 22400 percent jump. As for receding products, fidget toys and gadgets have seen a decrease in searches, with fidget toys seeing a 33 percent drop. The gadget became a trending toy within the sector in 2017, however, the findings suggest that the once-popular toy is no longer in demand.
Brett Janes, Managing Director at Salience Search Marketing, said: "The toy stores sector has seen a positive year, as the industry records a 6 percent increase in overall organic growth. This report also saw some impressive social media figures and sizeable brand searches, highlighting a successful strategy across the sector.
"Fidget toys, a highly popular gadget in 2017, has seen a drop in searches, highlighting that product trends are ever-changing. "A brand on the rise is Tonies, as it sees a sizeable 213 percent increase in searches following its recent partnership with Hamleys in 2022. The collaboration saw Tonies products sold in Hamleys stores.
"Overall, building a strong online presence across multiple channels becomes crucial in driving sales and capitalizing on the expanding market demand."
